Brief
This is probably, the most picturesque pilgrim centre of India. Located on ShetrunjayaH ill are 863 temples, built over an impressive span of nine hundred years. The temples are exquisitely carved in marble, veritable prayers in stone, which to an observer, appear to be ivory miniatures when seen from a distance. Though the Jains do not believe in any God, they have built wonderful, artistic and highly decorative temples connected with the lives of the Tirthankaras, who had attained salvation through self-discipline, meditation and penance. This temple city, has been built as an abode for the Gods and, as such, mortals are not allowed to stay over night, not even the priests. One has to go up, at the break of dawn and return before dusk.

How to Reach
Palitana is well connected by rail, road and air. By air, the nearest airport is Bhavnagar at 62 Km and is well connected. By rail, Palitana is on the meter gauge line and is well connected with Ahmedabad at 277 Km. By road, Palitana is well connected by roadways and buses with major towns and cities. Ahmedabad is located at a distance of 215 Km.

Jain Pilgrimage Tour Of Palitana Temples In India
Amongst all the Jain temples, Palitana temples are considered to be the most sacred. Located on Shetrunjaya hills there are 863 temples, exquisitely carved in marble. No one is allowed to sleep overnight including the priest, because the temple city has been built as an abode for the Gods. The town is considered by many Jains to be more important than the temple covered hills of Bihar, Gwalior, Mt Abu and Girnar. Palitana was the capital of a princely state of the Gohil Rajput clan. It is also one of the greatest tourist attractions in Gujarat for foreign tourists.

History
The act of ascending a path to reach a place of pilgrimage is a part of the Hindu and Jain consciousness, which is why many of their holiest temples are located along hills and mountain ranges. The Jains have five separate hill locations for their holiest clusters of temples and Shatrunjaya Hill, Palitana is considered the most important among them. Another group is in Girnar (Junagadh), not too far away, while others are in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Palitana houses perhaps the largest cluster of Jain temples anywhere. From the base to the peak of the Shatrunjaya Hill, where the Palitana temples are located, there are in all 863 temples. These temples were built in two phases-the 11th and 12th centuries as a part of the resurgence of temple building all over India, and in the 16th century. Some of the earliest temples built in the 11th century were destroyed by Muslim invaders in the 14th and 15th centuries. The current temples date back to 16th century onwards. Not any one person or group was responsible for the construction of these magnificent temples. It was the effort of the wealthy businessmen who were followers of Jainism that these buildings came into existence